Rutherford Uncovered

Rutherford
Uncovered

A Resume of the Reasons
That Lay Behind
Jim Brown's Manifesto

By Rev, Richard Felix, O.S.B.

Price 10 Cents

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Rutherford
Uncovered

A Resume of the Reasons

That Lay Behind

Jim Brown's Manifesto

By Rev. Richard Felix, O.S.B.

OUR FAITH PRESS

Pilot Grove, Mo.

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Foreword

Mr. Rutherford recently published a booklet en-
titled "Uncovered" which purports to uncover "the
Roman Catholic Hierarchy, an organization put for-
ward by the Devil for the purpose of turning people
away from Jehovah God." It would seem only fair
then to turn the tables and uncover the honorable "Judge"
himself. Hence, the title of this publication.

The author of this pamphlet lives in Cooper
County, Missouri, the very county in which Ruther-
ford lived for fifteen years and practiced law. The
author has kept close check on the activities of the
"Judge" for many years, is well acquainted with many
of Rutherford's former associates in the legal profes-
sion, and has carefully examined the records of the
various Courts in which Rutherford worked.

The Club meeting and the characters in the story
that follow are of course fictitious, but the facts and
figures they give are only too true.

The contents of this booklet are copyrighted. The
author however wishes it to be known that if any one
desires to quote the pamphlet in part or to translate
it into other languages permission for the same will be
freely given upon written request.

Rev. Richard Felix, O.S.B.
Pilot Grove, Missouri
Author and Publisher

Copyright 1937
Rev. Richard Felix, O.S.B.

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

Jim Brown looked up as I entered the Club. "Come
here, George. You'll enjoy this." With that he turned
to me an opened book.

"Stories, Essays, and Poems," by G. K. Chester-
ton — that was the book. On top of the page he held
open I read: The Fool.

"Who is it," I asked, "you or I?" "Listen first,
then judge," was his rejoinder.

At once he began to chuckle his way through that
most delightful story. Chesterton, tired of brilliant
people, "longed to find the refreshment of a single fool."
At last he finds him, "the priceless ass, in a Club."
Follows description and dialogue, Chesterton's pretend-
ed dullness. "Oh, so it is the miners who are all to be
sent to penal servitude, so that we may get more coal.
It is the miners who are to be shot dead, every man
Jack of them; for if once they are all shot dead, they
will start mining again."

Twenty minutes later, the two men were still laugh-
ing over Chesterton's fool when suddenly George grew
serious. During a lull in their conversation, he had
caught the drone of another voice a few feet away. A
tall, watery-eyed man with a puffed, unhealthy face
was seated before a small group of listeners reading from
a pamphlet.

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

George sat up with a jerk. "Jim," he said, half
jocose and half in earnest, "I wish I had Chesterton's
gift of satire and I would write up this Club too."

Jim's eyes questioned. George motioned to the
group of men who had attracted his attention. "Listen,"
said he, "and you will see how a blind man attempts to
lead the blind."

Jim twisted in his chair just in time to hear the
central figure of the group read from his pamphlet this
statement: "The Catholic Encyclopedia above cited
likens such use of images to giving honor to the flag
of a nation. This shows that flag-saluting is a religious
ceremony, because such saluting attributes salvation
to what the flag represents. Salvation can come only
through Jehovah God by Christ Jesus. (Acts 4:12).
An effort is now being made at the instance of the Catholic
Hierarchy to compel school children, contrary to the
Bible, to salute the flag; and the purpose is to compel
them to engage in a form of religion, which is in direct
violation of God's law. This of itself shows that it is
a subtle scheme of the wily Devil to turn creatures
away from Jehovah and to thereby carry out the Devil's
challenge, boastfully made to God, that he could turn
them away. Job 2:4-6."

Jim Brown's reaction was startling, even to me,
who knew so well his generous, fair, warm-hearted
nature. He wheeled his chair round, took in the scene
behind, then said quietly to the man who had been
talking, "Pardon me, sir, I presume you belong to this
Club."

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

The man nodded assent and said, "Yes sir, and
the name is Jones."

"Let me ask further then, Mr. Jones, are the
sentiments that you have just been pronouncing your
own?"

"I'm glad," was the reply, "to see you so in-
terested. The sentiments you have just heard are
the teachings of the Bible. I was just reading them
from a booklet called 'Uncovered' written by that
great modern defender of Christianity, Judge Ruth-
erford. Here they are on page 44. And, to answer
your question directly: Those sentiments just read
from the great leader, I myself, I am proud to say,
subscribe to full-heartedly. I defend them and propa-
gate them. This gentleman here, to whom I was
reading them, I find to be quite open-minded, and I
hope soon to see him at my side fighting whole-heartedly
in the army of Jehovah's Witnesses."

Jim, still more quietly, presented his visiting card
to the speaker, saying, "Your master has maliciously
put an utterly false construction upon that paragraph
cited from the Catholic Encyclopedia and you are just
as maliciously seeking to propagate the same. I shall
be happy to meet you, you and your new convert, at
any time and place you may find convenient. Mean-
while, to show how fully I share your noble Christian
sentiments, take this."

A moment later he had again wheeled round to me,
leaving a resounding slap on the face of the man behind
him.

5

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

Developments followed fast. The man with the
stinging check rose from his place, looked angrily at
Jim, walked over to the attendant, asked him to summon
the President of the Club.

The President came. "Mr. President, this man
here, presumably a member of the Club, has just now,
unprovoked, insulted me publicly with a blow in the
face. I demand either condign apology or then his
expulsion from the Club."

The President looked at Jim.

Jim spoke, "Mr. President, this man brought the
blow on himself by deliberately and emphatically in-
sulting the flag of our country. I do not ask him to
apologize. His apology if offered I refuse. I demand,
first, his unconditional expulsion from this Club; second-
ly, I shall denounce him to the Federal Authorities as
one who incites his countrymen to treason and disloyalty."

The President deliberated. Then he spoke, "The
rules of this Club specify that, just as each member
is admitted by majority vote, so likewise he may not
be expelled except by majority vote. Tomorrow eve-
ning at 8:00 o'clock, I shall hold a meeting. Each of
you, Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown, shall have full free-
dom to present his case. Can I count on your appear-
ance?" Both men accepted.

Telephones were busy that night and the next
day. At the appointed hour the Club's assembly-room
was crowded. Preliminaries over, Mr. Jones was called
and spoke as follows:

"Gentlemen, on the facts pertinent to this case
there is, I believe, no quarrel. Yesterday evening I

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

read to a fellow-member a passage on page 44 from
this booklet entitled 'Uncovered' written by Judge
Rutherford, copyrighted 1937, and published by
the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society with head-
quarters in Brooklyn, New York and branch offices
all over the world. While I was reading Mr. Brown
turned from a neighboring table to inquire whether
I myself shared the ideas expressed by the passage
I had read. I affirmed. Mr. Brown then did two things:
First, he presented his visiting card; secondly, he gave
me a painful blow in the face. I summoned our Presi-
dent, and demanded that Mr. Brown either apologize
for the insult or be expelled from this Club. That de-
mand I here and now repeat. Since Mr. Brown refuses
to apologize for infringing, injuriously and insultingly,
this my right as an American, to speak freely what I
will, I repeat my claim that his name be erased from
the roster of this Club. I have spoken."

Jim rose and spoke as follows: "Mr. President
do you know the contents of that Rutherford passage
which Mr. Jones claims the right to propagate in this
Club? I cannot think you do. I yielded to your sug-
gestion yesterday evening only because I felt you did
not know what Rutherford says, what Mr. Jones de-
fends. Further I am fully convinced that the mem-
bers of this Club labor under the same ignorance. Hence
I ask you, Mr. President, to read aloud the passage
in question. But before you read, let me specify the
statements I wish you to notice. Why? Because for
our present purpose Rutherford's attitude toward the
Catholic Hierarchy and all other forms of organized

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RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

religion is simply irrelevant and non-existent. The
constitution of this Club bars any religious test
in admitting members. Protestants, Jews, and
Catholics sit in this Club side by side with men
of no religious affiliation. Hence in listening to the
passage, I ask you to confine your attention to this
one question: Does Rutherford maintain, or does he
not maintain, that flag-saluting is a subtle scheme of
the Devil and a direct violation of God's law? Is it
wrong to be patriotic? Is it a sin to celebrate the Fourth
of July? Is it a crime to salute the Stars and Stripes,
that and that alone, is the question."

Jim Brown stood at respectful attention while the
President read: "The Catholic Encyclopedia above cited
likens such use of images to giving honor to the flag
of a nation. This shows that flag-saluting is a religious
ceremony, because such saluting attributes salvation
to what the flag represents. Salvation can come only
through Jehovah God by Christ Jesus. (Acts 4:12).
An effort is now being made at the instance of the Catho-
lic Hierarchy to compel school children, contrary to
the Bible, to salute the flag; and the purpose is to compel
them to engage in a form of religion, which is in direct
violation of God's law. This of itself shows that it is
a subtle scheme of the wily Devil to turn creatures
away from Jehovah and to thereby carry out the Devil's
challenge, boastfully made to God, that he could turn
them away. Job 2:4-6."

No sooner had the President read the passage just
quoted than Mr. Smith, a prominent attorney and an
old West Pointer who served as a Captain in the World

8

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

War and now heads the local unit of the American Legion
stood up and said, "Mr. President! Does Mr. Brown
yield?" Jim nodded.

CAPTAIN SMITH

"Mr. President, up to this moment my sympathies
have been with Mr. Jones. His appeal impressed me as
an appeal to American freedom of speech. But under
that passage which you, Mr. President, have just
read, my mood of sympathy froze to ice. Mr. Brown
is right, incontestably right. That passage does say and
says it clearly that flag-saluting is an invention of the
Devil, that flag-saluting, this most ordinary, every-
day sign of love of country, was invented by the Devil
to turn creatures away from God. Is there any red-
blooded American in this land today who would stand
for a statement so dastardly and disloyal as that!

"The situation Mr. Brown has uncovered, the situa-
tion this Club finds itself in, the situation our country
finds itself in makes my blood boil. Mr. President, we
are here confronted with a situation which is, I verily
believe, unparalleled in history. The author of that
passage not only propagates treason — that has been done
before — but he claims immunity for his treasonable
propaganda from the very flag he is tearing down. I
should like to hear what other members of the Club
think of this matter."

Mr. Langford, the County Superintendent of
Schools, then quickly arose and requested the privilege
of the floor.

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

MR. LANGFORD

"Mr. President, I wonder if our Club members
really realize what a menace this mountebank is right
here in our own county. I am hardly exaggerating
when I say that a ton of this treasonable stuff has been
unloaded on the schools of this one county alone. The
phenomenon amazed me. Every school I visited was
flooded. Millions, literally, of American citizens are
giving up their hard-earned cash to support this new
enemy of our flag. And let no one believe that the pass-
age read here this evening stands alone. Perfidy is
part of Rutherford's gospel. It is warp and woof of
all his publications. Let me read to you just one sen-
tence here on page 55 of another recent Rutherford
pamphlet entitled 'Protection.' It sounds thus: 'All
worldly rulers practice some kind of religion, and,
whether they know it or not, they are against God and
His kingdom.' You can, if you care, find the same idea
all through his writings.

"Lest you should consider me an alarmist, let me
quote to you briefly from an article in the Literary Digest.
Speaking of the results of this angle of the Rutherford
propaganda we are told that in many instances parents
'refuse to permit their children to salute the Stars and
Stripes because to them it is the devil's banner. A year
ago the first such case in Pennsylvania startled the news-
papers. If you kill me I won't salute! quavered an eleven-
year-old school-boy. He was expelled. Soon after, in Can-
onsburg, Pennsylvania, a teacher was dismissed for re-
fusing to honor the flag of horror and hate. Followed

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RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

similar instances of zeal and its punishment in Secaucus,
New Jersey; Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts; and Los
Angeles. An eight-year-old Lynn, Massachusetts lad
was driven from school. Soon authorities found mere
expulsion inadequate to stem the mounting tide.' 1

"The amount of this sort of literature scattered across
our country is almost unbelievable. These copies of 'Un-
covered' and 'Protection' that I have here in my hand
are only two out of 252,577,146 similar copies and pub-
lications that have come from the Watch Tower printing
presses. Last year alone the number ran to 22,577, 146. 2
Besides these blatant brochures Rutherford publishes
two papers, The Watch Tower and The Golden Age.
Each appears twice a month. Calumny and insulting
cartoons fill every page. The Golden Age is published
simultaneously in twelve different languages. It is claimed
that these two papers have a combined reading list of
several million people.

"In this connection the Literary Digest tells us fur-
ther, 'Tucked away in a corner under the Brooklyn end
of the Brooklyn Bridge between two warehouses is an
eight-story, white, oblong building— the power-house of
Jehovah's Witnesses. An electric sign above winks out
in ruby lights the word — Riches. Here 196 Witnesses
known as the Bethel Family toil for Judge Rutherford
and the Lord. Their riches are $15.00 a month. For this
sum they print and mail literature, make the 35,000
pounds of ink used annually to print 5700,000 worth of
books.' 3

1. Literary Digest, May 2, 1936. p. 18.

2. cf. Consolation, Dec. 29, 1937, p. 32

3. Literary Digest, May 2, 1936. p. 18.

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RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

"The same pernicious work is carried on by means
of the radio, portable phonograph records, and public
address systems. Equipped with sound devices, cars go
up and down our highways and through the streets of
our towns and cities blaring forth the biased and bigoted
message of this charlatan. Free speech, by all means,
but when that blessed privilege is abused to vilify our
fellowmen, to breed discord, to cavil at constituted
authority, to prepare the soil for Communism, and to
sow into the minds of our children the seeds of disloyalty
to our flag and to our country, then liberty be-
comes license and free speech forfeits its right to free-
dom because it fails to fulfill the function assigned it
by the Founding Fathers of our glorious Republic. For
some strange reason this impudent enemy of our flag
and of our religious institutions appeals to millions of
adult Americans. That he should be let loose like ah
avalanche on the impressionable minds of American
children seems to me a piece of inconceivable stupidity."

As soon as Mr. Langford ceased speaking, Mr.
Graham, the dapper little radio editor of the Daily News
motioned for recognition.

MR. GRAHAM

"Mr. President, I rise merely to add a word about
the radio activities of Rutherford. By means of elec-
trically transcribed records, Mr. Rutherford at this time
is ranting over one hundred and thirty-eight radio sta-
tions in different parts of the United States. On many
of these stations he is holding forth three or more times

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RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

a week. All told he has been giving over four hundred
addresses via the radio every week all winter long.

"A short time ago Mr. Rutherford transcribed this
very booklet entitled 'Uncovered' into six quarter-hour
records and has added a great many more stations to
his original one hundred and thirty-eight to carry these
special broadcasts. The Rutherford broadcasts, com-
monly called the Watch Tower Programs, are made up
mainly of silly interpretations of Scripture, gratuitous
charges against the various churches — Catholic, Prot-
estant, and Jewish — which he commonly refers to as
'The Organized Forces of Satan,' and repeated protesta-
tions against those who revere and respect the flag of
our country or pay outward deference to the officials
of our country. Why any station would accept programs
that are offensive to so many people is more than I can
understand.

"Neither is this work of Mr. Rutherford confined
to the United States. In the same way and by means
of electrical transcription Rutherford is on the air in nearly
every country of the world. In Australia, for instance,
the Watch Tower Programs are carried regularly at the
present time by seventeen stations.

"The radio programs of Mr. Rutherford are all com-
mercial programs, that is, paid for at the regular
commercial rates. I have no hesitation in saying that
Rutherford's radio activities alone have reached the enor-
mous sum of one-half million dollars every year for the
past several years.

"The Radio Commission of Canada and the Radio
Commission of England banned the Watch Tower Pro-

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RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

grams from the air long ago because of their offensive
nature. It is a matter of common knowledge that neither
of the national chains will accept any of the Rutherford
programs on a chain basis. 4 Just why the Federal Radio
Commission does not take a hand in this matter is quite
beyond me.

"The decision of the District Court of Appeals of
the District of Columbia which was later affirmed by
the Supreme Court upheld the right of the Federal Radio
Commission to force from the air the Rev. Bob Shuler
of unsavory broadcasting fame in these words: 'If it be
considered that one in possession of a permit to broad-
cast in interstate commerce may, without let or hindrance
from any source, use these facilities, reaching as they
do from one corner of the country to the other, to offend
the religious susceptibilities of thousands, inspire political
distrust and civic discord, and be answerable for slander
only at the instance of the one offended, then this
great science, instead of a boon, will become a
scourge, and the nation's theatre for the display of
individual passions and the collision of personal interests.
This is neither censorship nor previous restraint, nor
is it a whittling away of the rights guaranteed by the
first amendment or an impairment of their free exercise.'
It would seem then that the Federal Radio Commis-
sion has the power, and who will say that Rutherford
is not more offensive than ever Bob Shuler was.

"Even before the Radio Commission was formed,
no less a person than Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Com-
merce in charge of radio regulation, told an assembled

*. cf. Hearings on McFadden Bill, H.R. 7986.

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group of petitioners for a broadcasting license: 'Let there
be no religious controversy. The government will not
stand for that.' But controversy we have in the Watch
Tower Programs and that in the most smelly and offen-
sive manner possible. I heartily indorse everything that
Mr. Langford has said on this subject."

The next speaker to seek recognition from the chair
was Dr. Schneider, Professor of Hebrew and Lecturer
in Comparative Religion at one of the leading Lutheran
seminaries of the Middle West.

DOCTOR SCHNEIDER

"Mr. President, I have been following the Russell-
ite-Rutherford movement for a number of years as a
curious example of religious pathology, much as a student
of psychology might be interested in the abnormalities
of that science.

"Mr. Rutherford is President of the International
Bible Students' Association. In that capacity we would
naturally look for a man of even balance, good judgment,
and profound learning. Certainly we would expect the
head of the International Bible Students' Association
to be thoroughly conversant with the languages in which
the Bible has been written. As you are well aware,
most of the Old Testament was written in the Hebrew
tongue and most of the New Testament in the Greek
language. I have no explicit information on the point
but judging from the fantastic, far-fetched, and often
idiotic meanings attached by this gentleman to divers
statements in the Bible it is plainly evident that he

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RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

knows little or nothing about the languages in which the
Bible was written. I doubt very much whether he could
read a chapter in the Hebrew or Greek originals if his
very life depended upon it. Apparently Mr. Ruther-
ford's knowledge of the Bible would seem to be limited
to 'Smith's Dictionary of the Bible' and to his prede-
cessor, Pastor Russell's books entitled 'Studies in the
Scriptures.' And yet, this is the man who heads the
International Bible Students' Association and poses as
authority in matters scriptural.

"When Pastor Russell died in 1916, Mr. Ruther-
ford stepped into his shoes, elaborated further the pro-
phetic theories of Russell, and has ever since sought to
keep the brethren on the trigger-edge of expectancy
relative to future events. In 1923 Rutherford appointed
the year 1925 as the time when the world would come
to an end. Since the final crack-up did not come to pass
as predicted, Rutherford would now have us believe
that a special season of grace has been extended by the
Lord so that the remnant of the faithful may be gathered.
Later on, Rutherford evidently thought that 1930 would
mark the end of things. I should like to read you a press
dispatch from Los Angeles taken from the Cleveland
Plain Dealer under date of March 24, 1930:

'A $75,000 Spanish mansion commanding a superb
mountain view and lying almost within a stone's throw
of the ruins of California's first mission awaits the coming
of King David, slayer of Goliath. Judge Rutherford,
owner of the mansion in San Diego and President of the
International Bible Students' Association and Watch

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Tower Bible and Tract Society admitted today that he
was not quite sure when King David would appear but
added that everything is ready for him when he does.
Judge Rutherford has deeded the property to King David,
preferably, but he included any of the Kings and Prophets
mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews as alterna-
tives. David, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, Joseph,
and Samuel are the biblical characters who will find a
great welcome at the hands of Judge Rutherford and his
associates if they ever become residents of Southern
California. I purposely landscaped the place with palms
and olive trees so King David and these princes of the
universe will feel at home when they come to offer man
the chance to become perfect, said the Judge.'

"I ask you, gentlemen, could anything be nuttier
than that. I feel constrained, Mr. President, to add
one more word concerning Rutherford's ideas about the
physical universe. Most of his ideas on that subject
have heen borrowed from Vail's theory of Cosmogony
published in 1874. The world has travelled a long way
in matters scientific since 1874 but Mr. Rutherford seem-
ingly is unaware of that fact. Some one should tell the
gentleman that Dr. Robert Andrews Milliken of Cali-
fornia Tech and Sir James Jeans of England have long
ago knocked the theories of Vail into a cocked hat. No
high school student today could possibly be led to believe
the bunk set forth in Rutherford's book 'Creation' based
as it is on Vail's discredited ideas.

"We live in a wonderful age, gentlemen. Prophets
we have aplenty — self-appointed and self-anointed.

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First came Dowie, 'the messenger of God's Covenant.'
He said so. It must be true. Then simple Aimee. She
says so. It must be true. Father Divine puts in his claim
for the colored people. 'Peace. It's wonderful.' And
last but not least Jehovah God's own witness, Mister
Rutherford. He says so. Who would dare doubt it.
They all run true to form. It's fun, great fun, gentlemen.

"In yielding the floor, Mr. President, I should like
to suggest that my good friend, Judge Pender here,
could tell us quite a few things about Mr. Rutherford
if he chose to do so. I happen to know that Judge Pender
spent his early days as an attorney in Cooper County,
Missouri and knew Mr. Rutherford quite well at that
time. I am sure that we should all like to hear from
Judge Pender."

The suggestion met with instant applause. Judge
Pender, who is fast approaching the biblical term of
three score years and ten but who looks fully twenty
years younger, responded readily.

JUDGE PENDER

"Mr. President, I could tell you many things in-
deed about the gentleman in question. In defense of
my own profession, I want to make clear, first of all,
that Mr. Rutherford is not a Judge. He has never been
duly elected to that office and has no claim to that title.

"The statutes of our State provide that in the ab-
sence of the regular Presiding Judge of our circuit courts
the members of the local bar shall select one of their

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members to take the place of the regular Judge until
he returns. Thus it comes about in every court of our
commonwealth that all the members of the local bar
are privileged to preside over the circuit court from time
to time. In this way it happened that in all the years
that he was a member of the Cooper County bar of
Boonville, Missouri, Mr. Rutherford presided over the
local court on four different occasions each time for one
day only. On two of these occasions no cases came before
the jurisdiction of the court. On each of the other two
occasions only trials of a minor nature came up. 5

"This is the sole claim that Mr. Rutherford has to
the title of Judge. If this entitles him to that name,
then practically every lawyer in the State of Missouri
is a Judge. It may flatter the vanity of Mr. Ruther-
ford to pose before the public as a Judge but that is a
self-assumed title, nothing more. It amuses me to see
what a flood of crocodile tears the 'Judge' can shed when
lamenting the lot of those poor deluded people who call
their Priests by the endearing name of 'Father' when
he, with far less rhyme or reason, wants the world to
call him 'Judge.'

"After learning this afternoon of the purpose of this
meeting I went through my files and picked out a number
of other items that I thought might be of interest con-
cerning J. F. Rutherford, Joe, as we commonly called
him, Joe the 'Judge' if you please. Bear with me briefly
and I will give you a few of the more salient points.

5. Circuit Court Records. Cooper County. Missouri. Feb. 17, 1897. cf.
Book 20, p. 576; July 3, 1899. cf. Book 22, p. 73; Mar. IS, 1905. cf. Book 25,
p. 213; Mar. 29, 1905. cf. Bookk25. p. 239.

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"The Rutherford family came from Morgan County,
Missouri. James Colvin Rutherford and his good wife,
Lenora Strickland Rutherford, the parents of our 'Judge'
lived all of their married life of nearly fifty years on
the little farm that they owned three and one-half miles
north of Versailles, Missouri. They were honest, hard-
working people, respected by every one. Both were active
members of the Freedom Baptist Church located less
than a mile from their home and it is in the little cemetery
near that church where both lie buried.

"The father died July 11, 1912. The mother passed
away October 9, 1926. The mother was an invalid the
last three years of her life. At the time of her death
she was blind and receiving help from the government
in the form of a pension for the blind, as the records of
the Probate Court in Versailles will show. 6 The 'Judge'
came home and preached a funeral sermon over the
remains of his dead mother. The Versailles Leader 7
pronounced it 'an impressive address.'

"James Rutherford and his wife reared a family
of eight children, three sons and five daughters. Three
of the daughters, Mrs. Flora Chism, Mrs. Lena Mc-
Daniels, and Mrs. Anna Neville, are now dead. Of the
two daughters still living, Mrs, Ella Newkirk resides
in Tipton, Missouri and Mrs. Virginia Ross in Ver-
sailles, Missouri. W. P. Rutherford, the oldest son,
died in the West a few years ago, I am told. The young-
est son, James B., commonly called Bert, was living
in Kansas City at the time of his mother's death. Our

6. Book 16, p. 458.

7. Oct. 15, 1926.

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'Judge,' the second son in the family, was born Novem-
ber 8, 1869.

"If Rutherford's claim to be a Judge is so ques-
tionable, you might well ask, was he ever a lawyer at
all ? Yes, J. F. Rutherford is a lawyer, but one it would
seem who has never had any professional training in
Law. You will search in vain to find his name on the
registry books of any of the accredited Law Schools
of his native state, Missouri.

"The records of the Circuit Court of Morgan
County 8 at Versailles, Missouri and of the Circuit Court
of Cooper County 9 at Boonville, Missouri reveal the fact
that our 'Judge' was duly engaged at different times
to serve as official Court Stenographer in these two
counties. Familiarity with legal forms and legal pro-
cedure derived from his experience as a Court Stenog-
rapher evidently gave young Rutherford the idea that
he had sufficient smattering of the law to be an attor-
ney himself. Accordingly, we find him making formal
application to practice before the bar at Boonville, Mis-
souri. A committee of five members of the Boonville
bar was appointed to examine the young man to see
whether his knowledge of the Law was ample enough
to admit him to practice. The committee reported
favorably upon the applicant and on the strength of
their report J. F. Rutherford was granted a license to
practice law in the State of Missouri on May 5,
1892. 10

S. Book 12, p. 416.
9. Book 19, p. 181.
10. Court records, Cooper County, Miasouri. Book 19, p. 84.

21

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

"What kind of lawyer was Mr. Rutherford? Reput-
able, reliable, an honor to his profession ? I will answer
that question by citing a case that came before the
Circuit Court of Cooper County February 4, 1896,
the Honorable Dorsey W. Shackleford, Judge of said
Court, presiding. The case concerned the possession
of a cash register sold on a time payment plan by the
National Cash Register Company of Dayton, Ohio to
one Charles Merstetter, a saloon-keeper in Boonville,
Missouri and on which David Nicholson of Boonville
had levied a writ of attachment. Mr. J. F. Rutherford
was attorney for the Interpleader, namely, the National
Cash Register Company, and William Muir Williams,
afterwards Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri,
was attorney for Mr. Nicholson. The writ of attach-
ment was served by Deputy Constable Wright, but Mr.
Rutherford was determined that writ or no writ Mr.
Wright should not take possession of the cash regis-
ter. I quote verbatim from the transcript of testimony
on file in the Cooper County Circuit Court. 11 Mr. Wright,
the deputy constable, is on the stand; Mr. Williams
interrogating:

Mr. Williams: You may state what took place be-
tween you and Mr. Rutherford; all about the levy of
that writ.

Mr. Wright: I had the writ of attachment. I went
to Mr. Culverhouse. He had the keys to what was at
a certain time Charley Merstetter's saloon. I read the
writ of attachment to him, and he told me that he had

1 1. Cooper County Circuit Court. Permanent File. No, 5113,

22

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

the keys to the saloon and he would go up there and
open it. And I went up and levied on the cash register.
It was sitting behind the bar. I picked it up and
carried it from behind the bar. And just as I was start-
ing out with it Mr. Rutherford came in and he says to
me: Harry, you are inexperienced in this business and
probably I can advise you. It was a kind of confidential
talk he was giving me. He had a roll of papers in his
hands and he says: I dare say that Mr. Williams if he
saw these would be willing to let me have the cash register
as I think I can produce books in the case to show that
I am in possession of it. I says: If I am in the wrong,
I will give in. I am willing to go with you to Mr. Williams
and we will find out and I am willing to leave the cash
register here.

Mr. Williams: What did you do afterward?

Mr. Wright: Well, I was gone. When I came back
the door was closed and I understood that Mr. Ruther-
ford had taken the cash register over to his office.

Mr. Williams: What took place then between you
and Mr. Rutherford in his office?

Mr. Wright: I went into Rutherford's office and
he said: If you want that cash register you will have
to go to Sedalia for it because it is on the way there
now. And I says: I'll run the risk of looking anyway.
And the cash register was concealed in the second office
covered up with a lot of papers and a whole lot of stuff
back there, and I deliberately got a couple of boys and
we carried it to Mr. Gibson's office.

23

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

"Upon the conclusion of the testimony the Jury
under the instructions of the Court returned a verdict
against the Interpleader, namely, the National Cash
Register Company. The case was appealed to the Kan-
sas City Court of Appeals and on January 11, 1897
that Court handed down a decision reaffirming the de-
cision of the Cooper County Circuit Court. I quote here-
with and verbatim the final paragraph in the decision
by the Kansas City Court of Appeals:

'On the undisputed evidence, it is clear that the
deputy constable made a valid levy on the machine,
when he seized the same at the saloon building. In
pursuance of an attachment writ against Merstetter,
the officer took the register into his actual possession
and was carrying it away when stopped by interpleader's
attorney, who suggested that the deputy was in the
wrong and that before proceeding further he had better
advise with Williams, plaintiff's counsel? The deputy
adopted this course and went to consult with said at-
torney, leaving interpleader's counsel at the building
where the machine was. During this brief absence, inter-
pleader's agent seized the property and concealed it in
his office. The facts established by undisputed testi-
mony show a valid levy and unquestionably prove that
the officer did not intend to abandon the same while he
went to consult the lawyer. And it is equally clear that
interpleader's attorney, at the time, so understood it.
It would be trifling with justice, and offering a premium
to what appears sharp practice to hold that the con-
stable intended to, or did, in effect, abandon the levy
which he had already made. In our opinion, the trial

24

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

court correctly instructed the jury to find against the
interpleader and its judgment will be affirmed. Signed:
T. A. Gill. All concur. Kansas City Court of Appeals' 12

"Legal Ethics knows of nothing more reprehen-
sible than for an attorney to be accused by a Court of
Appeals of trifling with justice and offering a premium
to what appears to be sharp practice.

"It is interesting to note that this upholder of the
law was himself twice fined for contempt of court, once
on August 8, 1894 in the Circuit Court of Morgan
County 13 at Versailles, Missouri, and again on May 15,
1895 in the Circuit Court of Cooper County 14 at Boon-
ville, Missouri.

"The next item from my files concerning 'Judge'
Rutherford is a clipping from the New York Times
under date of May 9, 1918. The clipping reads as follows:
'Charged with spreading doctrines calculated to pro-
mote unrest and disloyalty among the men of the army
and navy, six leaders of the International Bible Students'
Association, which was founded by the late Pastor Charles
T. Russell, were arrested yesterday afternoon in Brooklyn
by United States Marshal James M. Power. The arrests
were made at the Bethel, the headquarters of the society
at 122 Columbia Heights, and among the men taken
into custody was ex-Judge Joseph F. Rutherford, who is
said to be the successor of Pastor Russell as the head
of the organization. The Federal Grand Jury indict-
ment, under which Rutherford and his associates were

12. cf. Missouri Appeal Reports. Vol. 68, p. 441 I.e. p. 447.

13. cf. Court Records, Morgan County, Missouri. Book 13, p. 251*

14. cf. Court Records, Cooper County, Missouri. Book 2, p. 376.

25

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

arrested, charged them with unlawfully and wilfully con-
spiring to cause insubordination, disloyalty and refusal of
duty of the military and naval forces of the United States.'

"Under date of June 7, 1918, the same New York
Times brings us the following item: 'The members of
the International Bible Students' Association are pos-
sessed of the faith once delivered unto the Saints, and
to be shot for being a conscientious objector is a quick
method of entering the presence of the Lord, are two
assertions made in a letter written to Hans Insberg,
who refuses to do military duty at Camp Devens, Mass.
The letter bears the stamped signature of Joseph F.
Rutherford, the present head of the Russellites, and
was produced as evidence yesterday afternoon at the
trial of himself and eight associates in the United States
District Court in Brooklyn, before Judge H. B. Howe.'

"Under date of June 22, 1918, the same New York
Times brings us this further information: 'Seven of the
eight members of the various organizations founded by
the late Pastor Charles Taze Russell, who were con-
victed of conspiracy to cause insubordination, disloyalty
and refusal of duty in the military forces of the United
States, were sentenced individually yesterday by Judge
H. B. Howe, in the U. S. District Court in Brooklyn,
to serve twenty years in prison on each of the four counts
in the indictment against them. This would make the
term eighty years in all for each convict, but the judge
decided that the sentences might run concurrently, so
that the prisoners can look forward to their release as
if they had been sentenced to but one term of twenty

26

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

years. Those sentenced were Joseph F. Rutherford,
President of the International Bible Students' Associa-
tion, and successor to Pastor Russell, etc., etc. In the
opinion of the court, said Judge Howe, the religious
propaganda which these defendants have vigorously ad-
vocated and spread throughout the nation, as well as
among our allies, is a greater danger than a division of
of the German Army.'

"After serving nine months of this sentence in the
Federal Prison at Atlanta, Georgia, Rutherford along
with Eugene Debs and a host of others was released on
May 16, 1919.

"Conviction of their leader filled the Witnesses of
Jehovah with rage and they have ever since labored
under a persecution complex seeking to fix the responsi-
bility for their trouble upon the Catholic Church. But
with what truth we shall allow one of their former as-
sociates to say, namely, Mr. B. E. Remaley of Portland,
Oregon. On page 53 of 'Rays of Reason,' he writes:
'No one knows better or should know better than the
officials of the Watch Tower Society who were sen-
tenced and served nine months in the Atlanta Peni-
tentiary that the offense was not on account of religious
faith or doctrine but on account of the Espionage Act,
and they were amenable.'

"Commenting upon Rutherford's conviction his
home-town paper, The Boonville Weekly Advertiser,
under date of June 28, 1918 remarked: 'Rutherford
went east a few years ago and got mixed up with the
religious organization known as the Russellites and in

27

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

which he became a prominent figure. His zeal in the
cult led him into trouble with Uncle Sam and now he
suffers the consequences. A little less Religion and more
Americanism would have led him and his associates in
a different field. The room for a disloyal person in this
country is growing smaller all the time, and the sur-
roundings are getting hotter and hotter for him.'

"Gentlemen, I thank you for your patience."

THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS

"Judge Pender, your remarks have been enlightening
indeed. In the name of every one here I thank you most
sincerely,

"Gentlemen, Captain Smith has just handed me a
Resolution for ratification by this Club if it meets with
your approval. The Resolution reads as follows:

The Civic Club of Brownville, gathered in full as-
sembly, hereby declares:

1. We denounce Judge Rutherford as a propaga-
tor of treason against the flag of our country.

2. We invite all Americans, individually and by
organization, to warn their representatives, Federal and
State, of the inevitable consequences that will follow if
America continues to permit this impostor to poison the
body politic.

3. We hereby call on our own authorized representa-
tive to champion this our Manifesto on the floor of
Congress.

28

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

4. In order to honor the man whose noble indig-
nation originated this Declaration, a man whose only
son died in battle to defend our common flag, we plead
that this Resolution be known to our country and to
world as Jim Brown's Manifesto."

A dozen men leaped up at once to indorse the
motion. The next moment saw it carried by acclama-
tion, while Jones and his friend left the hall in a hurry.

THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS AGAIN

"Gentlemen, the hour is growing late. I feel how-
ever that there are two other gentlemen here present
this evening from whom we ought to have a word be-
fore we go, two gentlemen who served our country nobly
as chaplains in the World War. I refer, of course, to
the Rev. Frank Jenkins and to Father DufFey. Brother
Jenkins, would you kindly say a word?"

BROTHER JENKINS

"Mr. President, I would only refer to a point raised
by Mr. Langford. Wherein lies the damnable fascina-
tion of Rutherford's appeal? Certainly not in his mas-
tery of the Bible. Granting the right of private interpre-
tation, which I myself uphold, granting that right in its
fullest extent, no sane man can accept the stupid and fan-
tastic meanings which this impostor reads into the sacred
page. Just because the example is so familiar to everybody,
I choose his comment on Nimrod, the mighty hunter
before the Lord. Many Club members here spend their
days of vacation hunting big game up in Canada or in

29

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

our own Rockies. When we call them Nimrods, we are
using a scriptural proverb, intelligible to the whole world,
Christian, Jew, or atheist. Now suppose Mr. Rutherford
himself should visit our Club. We should probably point
out to him the hunting trophies, the bear-skins, the
moose-horns, which adorn our halls and tell him proudly
of the Nimrods among us. 'Nimrods,' he exclaims, 'you
dare call them Nimrods?' 'And why not,' we answer.
'Because to call men Nimrods is the same thing as call-
ing them Enemies of God. Don't you know that Nimrod
pretended to be even greater than Jehovah God him-
self, that his powers, audacity, and boastfulness made
him an object of worship by others of mankind, that he
was the chief agent whom the devil used after the flood
to turn the people away from the Creator?' 'Where in
God's world,' we ask when he stops for breath, 'where
did you get these preposterous ideas?' 'Where,' he says.
'Why, from the Bible, of course, where it says, Nimrod
was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Before the Lord
means he pretended to be even greater than Jehovah.'

"Gentlemen, I must let you imagine the rest of
the dialogue. I have simply quoted Rutherford's own
phrases, as they stand here on page 13 of his pamphlet
entitled 'Protection.' I ask but one question: Of all so-
called scriptural proofs, have you ever heard one more
dense and muddle-headed? When you become a mighty
hunter in the sight of God, you thereby pretend to be
even greater than God Himself! Hannah, the mother of
Samuel, poured out her soul 'before the Lord.' Did she
thereby pretend to be greater than God? David was
a mighty dancer 'before the Lord.' Did he thereby pre-

30

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

tend to be greater than God? His wife rather thought
he was humbling himself too much. And David re-
torted that since it was 'before the Lord' he would
become still more vile and base in his own sight and
would continue to play 'before the Lord.'

"Not to tire you, I pause. Rutherford's private in-
terpretation is idiotic. Mr. Langford's question returns
with full force. How explain that this idiot in Scripture
interpretation has duped so many of our people."

THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS

"Thank you, Brother Jenkins. And now, may we
have a final word from you, Father Duffey?"

FATHER DUFFEY

"Mr. President, promises must be kept. I made a
promise to Brother Jenkins. I promised him on the way
here tonight that I would no longer urge Rutherford upon
him as a classical example of the consequences of private
interpretation of Scripture. But that promise of mine
does not keep me from commending the manly, genu-
inely patriotic speech which my friend has just made.

"Gentlemen, this is a memorable hour in the history
of our Club, a memorable hour it may be in the history
of our country. As it is getting late, I conclude with a
Proposal: Call another Meeting soon to devise ener-
getic and concerted action on Jim Brown's Manifesto
America may be asleep, but that sleep is the sleep of a
lion. Call forth the American Legion, the Women's Auxili-
ary, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Daughters of the

31

RUTHERFORD UNCOVERED

American Revolution. Wake each house where hangs
enshrined the picture of father, son, or brother who died
that the flag might live. The winds of patriotic indigna-
tion, gathering from Maine to California, from Canada
to the Gulf, will scorch the brow of this new Benedict
Arnold. Down with Arnold! Up with the Stars and
Stripes!"

Having set the next Meeting for two days later, the
Club dispersed. I walked home with Jim. He was silent,
and I understood.

But as we parted, he said: "No need to praise the
noble way our Club responded this evening. Through
it all I could see a smile on the face of my young lad
who lies dead in France. 'Lafayette, we are here!' "

Noting his deep emotion, I said: "Jim, before you
go to bed read over once more that essay of Chester-
ton."

He paused a moment, then said: "George, I under-
stand you. You're afraid I ascribe too much importance
to the fool in this case. Maybe I do, but this enemy of
the Stars and Stripes shall once again, God willing,
wear the stripes of a convict. By my martyred boy I
swear it!"

32

WHAT RUTHERFORD SAYS

GOVERNMENT

"The politicians from Roosevelt dlown are not the
least bit concerned about Almighty God." (CONSO-
LATION. No. 471. p. SO).

"No honest man understanding the conditions in
the United States can claim that it is a satisfactory
government." (GOVERNMENT. 2,457,000 Edition,
p. 13).

"Often a young man who is simple yields to the
seductive influence of an enticing harlot who sings
songs and exhibits herself in public places. The
United States appears to be in the class of such sim-
pletons." (ENEMIES. First printing, 1,000,000
copies, p. 278).

"The ruling powers have become more selfish and
oppressive of mankind. Jehovah will see to it that such
powers as now dominate mankind shall no longer
endure." (CURE. First printing, 10,000,000 copies,
p. 37).

THE AMERICAN LEGION

"The un-American American Legion make liberty
and democracy look like what the cat dragged home."
(GOLDEN AGE. No. 446. p. 49).

"Flag saluting is in direct violation of God's law."
(UNCOVERED, p. 44).

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

"If the Associated Press had been in existence
in the days of Jesus Christ, it would have been against
Him." (GOLDEN AGE. No. 451. p. 196).
RELIGION

"Religion is the deceptive and subtle scheme of
Satan the Devil, and was brought forward and em-
ployed by the Devil to deceive men and to reproach
Jehovah God." (CURE. p. IS).

"The practice of religion has proved beyond all
doubt that it is a racket of the very worst kind."
(CURE. p. 9).

PROTESTANTISM

"The record of Protestantism is that of inquisition,
persecution of the true followers of Christ Jesus, and
prosecution of cruel wars of conquest, dabbling in the
political affairs of the nations, and of teaching and
practicing false doctrines that are defamatory of the
name of Jehovah God and of Christ Jesus. . . . Its
leaders are ignorant of God's organization, have sub-
stituted man-made theories and practices for the Word
of God, and have turned millions of professed Protes-
tants into ignorance and superstition." (CURE. p. 8).

THE JEWISH RELIGION

"The Jews' religion holds out no hope for man-
kind." (CURE. p. 11).

"The Roman Catholic Hierarchy, the Protestant
clergy, and the Jewish rabbis walk hand in hand,
participate in the politics of the world, support wicked
and selfish organizations that oppress the people, and
persecute everyone who dares to tell the truth of and
concerning God's kingdom." (WHO SHALL RULE
THE WORLD? p. 24).

CATHOLICISM

"The pope is the devil's masterpiece. He is the
visible representative of the devil in this world."
(CONSOLATION. No. 473. p. 4).

"The Roman Catholic Hierarchy is the wickedest
organization of hypocrites that has ever existed upon
the earth." (GOLDEN AGE. No. 430. p. 368).

"It is generally held among them (the Catholics)
that at least one daughter out of every family should
be given to the church. Many of these candidates for
virginity are committed to cloister prisons from which
they never come forth. There, in many if not in all
instances, they serve the purposes of celibate priests,
and for a show make many prayers which rise no
higher than the ceiling, unless it be the agonized
prayers of some who, realizing that they have been
trapped, resist the efforts made to violate their
chastity, and who suffer a heroic martyrdom for their
sincerity." (GOLDEN AGE. No. 466. p. 703).

The Defenders
of the Faith

To counteract the nefarious work of Rutherford
and his Witnesses of Jehovah and at the same time
to present the truths of our holy religion to all the
world in a plain and popular way, a number of
earnest men and women have banded together in
an association known as the "Defenders of the
Faith."

Membership is open to Christian-minded men
and women everywhere. No set membership dues.
Every one gives as much financial support as he can
spare and every one is encouraged to take an active
part in the distribution of Catholic literature.

During the past year the Defenders of the Faith
have sent out by mail over a million pieces of Cath-
olic literature and sponsored a series of thirteen
electrically transcribed programs based on the
Apostles' Creed over thirty-five radio stations in
this country.

You are invited to join the "Defenders of the
Faith." For further information, address

THE DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH

Father Richard Felix, O.S.B., Director

Pilot Grove, Missouri

Publications of the

The Defenders of the Faith

Written to Counteract the False Doctrines of Rutherford
and the Witnesses of Jehovah

The Apostlees' Creed. 200 pages. 24 chapters. Price
50c prepaid. The radio .talks of Father Richard Felix,
O.S.B. Used extensively for study club work and the
instruction of converts. "This book covers the Creed
completely and convincingly. We know of nothing bet-
ter to place into the hands of inquiring friends outside
the Church." (From the Foreword to the book by
Bishop Lfllis of Kansas City.)

Catholic Doctrine. 160 pages. Price 25c prepaid.
A complete survey of the teachings of the Church in
question and answer form. 700 questions answered.

Church or Churches? 40 pages. Price 10c prepaid.
Organized religion. Did Christ Found a Church? How
can we tell? Who will be saved? List of the Popes.

What is the Catholic Church? 32 pages. Price 10c
prepaid. The Church a Visible, Supernatural So-
ciety. Origin and age of non-Catholic Churches. Four
Marks of the Church.

After Death — What? 36 pages. Price 10c prepaid.
Do we live after Death? Where? How? Is there a
Purgatory?

What About the Bible? 32 pages. Price 10c pre-
paid. Where did we get the Bible? How do we know
it is God's word? How does the Catholic Bible differ
from the Protestant Bible?

Rutherford Uncovered. 40 pages. Price 10c pre-
paid. A detailed and documented review of the life
and activities of this modern maligner of the Church.
Written in dialogue form.

Modern Mohammed. Price, 12: for 25c; 100 for
$1.25, prepaid. An expose of Judge Rutherford. Re-
printed with permission from "St. Anthony's Messen-
ger."

An Open Letter to Judge Rutherford. Price, 12 for
25c; 100 for $1.25, prepaid. Reprinted with permission
from "The Catholic Universe Bulletin."

Rutherford Folder. What Rutherford thinks of us
in word and picture. Price, 12 for 25c; 100 for $1.25,
prepaid.

OUR FAITH PRESS

Pilot Grove, Mo.

' *

-A, '
pi.*"